Damp and mould · St John's Wood
Damp and mould in St John's Wood
Found at the source. Fixed properly.
63,910 of Westminster's 131,940 homes were built before 1919.
Damp survey £120. Meter readings and a full visual inspection.
No injections unless a test proves rising damp.
Call any day. We book the next available engineer, usually the next working day.
Westminster's homes, in numbers
Why damp happens in Westminster's homes
St John's Wood is in Westminster. The facts on this page are for the whole borough.
- 48.4% Built before 19191
63,910 of Westminster's 131,940 homes were built before 1919. - 86% Households in flats2
70.2% of households live in purpose-built flats and 16.1% in converted or shared houses. - 43.3% Rent privately2
43.3% of households rent privately, up from 39.7% in 2011. - 250+ Properties flooded in July 20213
Two flash floods in July 2021 affected over 250 properties, mostly around Maida Vale, Harrow Road, Westbourne and Little Venice. - 56 Conservation areas4
56 conservation areas, where some damp treatments need planning advice first. - 10% Private rented homes with damp (England)5
Damp affects 10% of private rented homes in England against 5% of all homes.
What causes it here
Causes we see in Westminster's housing
Solid walls. Homes built before 1919 (48.4% in Westminster1) usually have solid walls with no cavity, so rain can soak through brickwork and show inside as damp patches.
Flats. 86% of Westminster households live in flats.2 A house split into flats shares one roof and one set of gutters, so a leak upstairs becomes mould downstairs.
Basements and flooding. Properties flooded in July 2021 in Westminster: 250+.3 Lower-ground rooms sit where heavy rain collects, so check the flood map before treating walls.
Condensation. Drying washing, cooking and too little air: black mould on cold corners.
How we fix it
- Find the source: rain, rising, leak or condensation
- Fix the cause, then the plaster and decoration
- A written report you can share with a landlord or insurer
Renting out in Westminster
Property licensing
Additional HMO licensing covers the whole city, 31 August 2026 to 30 August 2031. Selective licensing covers 15 of 18 wards, 24 November 2025 to 23 November 2030.6
Wards: Abbey Road, Bayswater, Church Street, Harrow Road, Hyde Park, Knightsbridge and Belgravia, Lancaster Gate, Little Venice, Maida Vale, Marylebone, Pimlico North, Queen's Park, Regent's Park, West End, Westbourne.
Check your street on the council's licence checker before you let.
Period and protected homes in Westminster
In a Westminster conservation area or listed building, check with Westminster planning before any damp treatment.
Westminster building control: 020 7641 6500
Social landlords
We work to Awaab's Law timescales for social landlords
Rent from a council or housing association? Report damp and mould to your landlord first. They must act within these timescales.
| Step | Timescale | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Emergency hazard | 24 hours | Investigate and make safe |
| Investigate | 10 working days | For significant damp and mould |
| Written summary | 3 working days | To the tenant, after the investigation |
| Safety work | 5 working days | After the investigation |
gov.uk guidance, updated 16 Jul 2026.7
Book a damp survey in St John's Wood
Price agreed on the phone before anyone comes out.
Written by the Local Property Group damp team.
Sources (read 3 Nov 2026)
- VOA Council Tax stock of properties 2026 (CTSOP4.1), 24 Sep 2026
- Census 2021 (ONS TS044), Jan 2023
- Westminster City Council Local Flood Risk Management Strategy 2024 to 2030, Mar 2025
- Westminster City Council conservation areas, 13 Jan 2023
- English Housing Survey 2024 to 2025, 29 Jan 2026
- Westminster Council licensing, 22 Apr 2026
- Awaab's Law: guidance for social landlords (timeframes for repairs), 16 Jul 2026
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.